Thinking-over Revelation and Religion: Lessons from Fr. Michael Amaladoss

This post is my thinking over “God Speaks” and “God Speaks to us” articles by Fr. Michael Amaladoss. There are two inter-related points that are glaring in the article besides the other insights: First, the radical dynamism of God’s revelation; Second the inner-link between revelation and salvation.  Revelation broadly refers to ‘God’s act’ in the world. The content of revelation is the infinite and finite. It aims to enlighten the creation (finite) of its non-seperatedness from the Creator (infinite). The process, as a result, continues, until we are one with God. This is however, a gift / an initiative of God - light shines forth in the darkness and Truth enlightens the ignorant. In this dynamics, our role is a response to this un-ending call of truth and light. Since it has human being as the subject, it happens in history and in a community. 

The ultimate expression of God’s call and our response occurs in God-Man/Avatar, who reveals the true God and the true wo/man through words and deeds. Every religion as a result, invariably revolves around one or a set of such God-men. The varied scriptures are inscription of truths revealed through them and by them. It is, moreover regarded as the fundamental and foundational revelation, since we are certain that they contain nothing but the truth. For us Christians, the fullness of revelation is Christ, and so the scriptures/revelation in the radical/literal sense ends with the account of those who have had a first-hand experience of Christ. The church though initially misunderstood, today accepts the dynamic aspect of revelation, but firmly believes that there will not be any new-truth other than “Christ”, who is the fullness revelation. Therefore, the on-going process of revelation helps us have a new or deeper understanding of Christ and to fall in love with Him, the light, the truth, the life. This depends on the integrity of the individual and not on the institution of individual power.

This fact should not be alarming since Christ represents the truth within, amidst us (signs of the times), which needs to be grasped by us who ignorantly search for it somewhere outside.  It goes with every enlightened religion! The issue – revelation, its authenticity and transmission – however, becomes complex as religion turns more institutionalized with the passage of time. One cannot though avoid institutions since human being is essentially a social being, modern man feels religion to be a custodian of truth, and worse still an autocrat imprisoning truth/light. “Spirit blows where it wills” (Jn 3,8) Probably Fr. Amaldoss tries to free us from such shackles joining hands with Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11, 28). Sadly it was such structures in their intelligence and scrupulous reasoning, they missed Jesus Christ: “At that time Jesus exclaimed, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do” (Mt 11, 25-26). Let not history repeat itself!